Internal Comms in Manufacturing: What It Is, Why It Matters, and How to Improve It

In manufacturing, internal communication is more than a matter of operational efficiency. It’s a matter of safety, retention, and even business continuity. Whether it’s alerting workers about a machine malfunction, announcing a new compliance update, or simply recognizing a job well done, how information is shared can directly impact performance and morale.

Yet internal communications in manufacturing companies often get overlooked. Physical production is somehow seen as antithetical to digital communication, when the reality couldn’t be farther from the truth. This guide will unpack the unique context of manufacturing communications, explore the most common internal communication challenges, and provide a proven internal communications strategy for creating impact across the entire organization. Especially when powered by a tool like Sociabble.

Here’s what you’ll discover:

• Why internal communication in manufacturing is about more than just bulletin boards
  
  
• The top five internal communication challenges in manufacturing (and how to solve them)
  
  
• Real-world internal communication tactics for the manufacturing industry and a client success story you can learn from
  

What is Internal Communications in Manufacturing?

Before we get tactical, let’s define the terrain. Internal communication in a manufacturing context refers to the flow of information between leadership, office staff, and frontline employees across factories, warehouses, and production lines. Unlike office environments where everyone is digitally connected, manufacturing industry internal communication needs to bridge a more diverse and physically dispersed workforce.

Traditional internal communication methods, like bulletin boards, word-of-mouth via line managers, printed newsletters, and even walkie-talkies, are definitely still in play. They’re still very much part of an effective internal communications strategy. But they often fall short within a modern context. That’s where digital tools, especially mobile-first platforms like Sociabble, become game-changers for manufacturing companies.

Why Internal Communication is Important in Manufacturing

Internal communication for manufacturing employees is essential because it effectively serves as the nervous system of the entire production process. Without the smooth flow of information, the physical products don’t get made, or at least aren’t made properly. And the stakes are definitely high: both for people and the bottom line. Here’s why your internal comms strategy matters:

Safety and Compliance

Manufacturing environments can be hazardous, and the margin for error is thin. One missed update about safety protocols can lead to injury or regulatory breaches. Real-time, accessible internal communication regarding safety procedures ensures that all manufacturing employees, from the factory floor to field logistics, are aligned and aware. 

Productivity and Operational Efficiency

Smooth, synchronized processes rely on everyone being on the same page. With real-time updates, clear instructions, and task coordination, internal communication helps avoid downtime, reduce confusion, and keep operations lean.

Employee Engagement and Retention

When employees feel informed, included, and recognized, they’re more likely to stay and perform at their best. Internal communication is the backbone of company culture, and in manufacturing, it’s the bridge between head office vision and frontline reality, creating strong employee engagement in the process. And actively engaged employees create value at any organization. 

Common Communication Challenges in Manufacturing

Despite its clear importance, internal communication in manufacturing environments comes with unique hurdles. These are often deeply rooted in the structure of manufacturing workforces and operations, which in turn are based on systems that have been around for decades, if not longer. A strong internal communications strategy needs to take these challenges into consideration. 

Reaching Non-Desk Employees

Many manufacturing workers don’t sit at desks, use laptops, or even have a company email. Traditional employee communication tools simply don’t reach them. The result? An information gap that leaves a significant portion of the workforce in the dark, totally preventing effective communication.

Shift Work and Time Barriers

When people work across different shifts, including nights and weekends, it’s challenging to ensure that everyone gets the same information, at the same time, as part of a company’s manufacturing communications. 

Language and Cultural Diversity

Factories and warehouses often employ manufacturing workers from varied backgrounds. Without multilingual support or visual aids, including video communications, internal communication messages can be misinterpreted or lost entirely.

Lack of Digital Access

Not all employees have access to communication tools like intranet portals or internal networks, or even just a computer screen. Relying on digital tools alone, without mobile optimization, can alienate key staff. Even the most effective internal communication platform needs a mobile element to keep the frontlines connected. 

Information Overload

With limited internal communication windows, messages must be concise and targeted. But when everything is “urgent,” manufacturing workers can’t always discern what really matters. This creates fatigue and disengagement.

Strategies to Strengthen Internal Comms in Manufacturing Companies

The good news? These communication challenges can be overcome. With the right tools and internal communications strategy, employee communication can become a powerful driver of performance, culture, and safety protocols, increasing productivity and profits in the process. Here’s how.

1. Use Mobile-First Tools

To truly reach everyone, you need to meet employees where they are: often on their mobile phones. Sociabble, for example, is built exactly for this. With its mobile-first design and branded app features, it works seamlessly on personal devices for internal communication, no corporate email or desktop required.

Key features include:

• Push notifications for urgent alerts
  
  
• Gamification elements (like challenges and badges) to drive engagement
  
  
• Instant messaging for direct team and employee communication
  
  

This mobile employee app approach for your internal communications strategy enables real-time information flow, increases adoption, and creates a direct line of employee feedback between frontline workers and HQ. 

With Sociabble, frontline employees stay connected thanks to a cutting-edge mobile app.

2. Empower Line Managers as Communication Ambassadors

Line managers are the direct communication link between strategic vision and shop-floor execution. Training them as internal communication ambassadors, while equipping them with tools like Sociabble’s admin dashboard and messaging and chat features, turns them into trusted sources for consistent, reliable updates.

3. Use Visual, Multilingual Content

With production centers and HQ frequently separated by national borders, linguistic differences need to be addressed and commodated. For example, Sociabble supports auto-translation in 60+ languages and allows the use of visuals like infographics, carousels, and even lip-synced dubbed videos to promote understanding and frontline inclusivity. 

This ensures internal communication comprehension across diverse literacy levels and language backgrounds, which is a critical advantage in global manufacturing industry environments.

Real-time translation is built into Sociabble, including AI-powered lip-sync technology. So addressing employees in practically any language is now possible.

4. Create Two-Way Communication Channels

Effective communication isn’t just about broadcasting. It’s also about listening. For example, Sociabble enables two-way interactions through:

• Surveys and polls to collect employee feedback
  
  
• User-generated content (UGC) features to give employees an active voice
  
  
• Commenting and feedback threads to find out what employees are thinking

This transforms comms from a monologue into a dialogue, where employee voices are heard and valued. This is especially important for connecting frontline workers, who may feel physically excluded from front office decision-making. Their voice doesn’t just matter; it’s critical to your communication efforts.

Two-way communication is made easy with Sociabble’s chat, messaging, and content-sharing features.

5. Launch Recognition Programs for Frontline Workers

Celebrate everyday achievements with instant digital badges or public shoutouts that keep employees engaged. This can boost morale, reinforce desired behaviors, and strengthen team spirit. Ways to accomplish this include: 

• Peer-to-peer recognition to celebrate a job well-done
• Automated rewards to give employees extra incentives
• CSR-linked rewards to also give back to the community 

Case Study: Connecting the Dots with Intech

Let’s bring this to life with a real-world example. Intech is a company that specializes in providing medical device solutions and services. With nine locations across the world, including a brand-new branch in Florida, the firm has a diverse workforce, including many frontline employees in the manufacturing industry sector. 

The Challenges

Naturally, the size and scope of the company presented challenges that were necessary to overcome for effective communication. These challenges included:

• Establishing a clear line of communication among the diverse workforce, often without company email, spread across multiple geographical locations (US, France, and Malaysia).
• Boosting employee engagement and fostering a sense of community among the entire workforce, while showcasing the company as a leader in innovation.  
• Bridging the gap between its office and frontline workers, ensuring that everyone felt included and was on the same page, without problematic communication gaps.

The Sociabble Solution

To address these challenges, Intech used Sociabble’s features innovatively, as part of several new communication strategies. They created global channels for all employees, ensuring everyone had access to the same information, thereby reinforcing a sense of community. They also launched a branded employee app, Flash, specifically designed for their frontline workers who lack corporate email. 

Thanks to user generated content capabilities (UGC) and dedicated communication spaces, Intech employees can publish important team events on their own. For example, when innovative equipment for the manufacture of prostheses arrived at the factory, a single employee was able to publish an announcement by himself and all the employees in all the subsidiaries were able to comment and celebrate this event.

This allowed Intech to have not only consistent messaging across channels, but also engaged employees fully in line with company objectives. 

The Results

In just 2 months, 60% of the Group’s employees had already joined the platform and this figure is constantly increasing, including 35% of frontline workers. Some sites are reaching a ratio of 85% of their workforce. Flash now hosts more than 500 pieces of content, with 48% contributed by users themselves. Internal communication performance has never been better!

You can read the whole case study here. 

Want to learn more? Book a demo with our team to learn how Sociabble can help your company master internal communication.

Conclusion

As this article has shown, internal communications in the manufacturing industry is no longer just about notice boards and loudspeaker announcements. It’s about creating a connected, informed, and engaged frontline workforce, from retail outlets to the production floor, using the latest in digital technology and smart communication strategies. 

In short: It’s not only about keeping employees informed, but also putting in place engaging communication that addresses employee needs. 

On that note, we’ve shown how with the right internal communications strategy, and a purpose-built and effective internal communication platform like Sociabble, you can:

• Boost safety protocols and compliance through real-time alerts
  
  
• Drive productivity with coordinated key messages
  
  
• Cultivate engagement through gamification and multilingual access
  
  
• Retain talent in the present and boost retention for the future by making everyone feel part of something bigger 

To summarize, the future of manufacturing communications starts with better communication strategies and smarter digital tools. Ready to take your internal communication strategies to the next level? At Sociabble, we’ve already worked with industry leaders and communications professionals from across the globe, including names like Coca-Cola CCEP, Primark, and L’Occitane en Provence. 

Book a free demo with Sociabble today and see how we’re transforming the manufacturing sector workforce from within.